Valve



Patented May 2, 1950 UNITE Di; STATES? T ENTJ "QEFIQE;

2,506,306 VALVE Burr Manual-r B s wNh nmt to v American Brake Shoe ,Comnanv, Wilmington, Del acorpcration of Delaware Applicatiqn May;;17 ,;1946, Serial No. 670,646

2 Claims. Cl.

tionalgfluid flow Valvesmof thischaracter are commonly gemployeds-in ,the, exhaust. and intake portsof air compressors,- air.driven m0tors,.,and inrother' like r.andtanalogom, mechanisms and. 1 systems;

Valvesof -;the-,a-foresaid .-oharacter, and ihose 0 to which this invention :especially pertains, come, prisewavalve-seat. memberlprovided. with; one or. more,portsgthrough which v,fluiclssuch as air, may, fiow ireelywhen the:.valve;is open.,,- ;A free. or

floating-dismelement. isdisposedso; astobe liited from said iva'lvewseatlwhen1flowaproceedsin"the. desired direction- ,When. flow starts to reverse, as inereci-procating zair compressors, for example, the free or floating disc or diaphragm member:

or ports and prevent reverselflow;

In the past it has beena common practicetom. mountta spring; for.-exarnplel a compression-.- spring, ofsuitable strength .in.such-,.a location.

as to hold the valve",-disc-+111;closedpositiorn against the valve .seatexoept whenfluid pressure in. the desired directioncissufficient .to openthe valve against thelforce oithespring;-When this pressure is reduced, or. begins tobe,reversedhlas,

in reciprocating. compressorsandmotors.of pneua, S0

intoca .plane. h,..lRegarc lless oftthewtype. of spring. 1,35

used; failures have; -.occur re.d ,,.frequently where valves-.oflthe .character..-unden.discus-Sianare em: ployedl in. machinery operatin atthigh, cyclic c rateslanifairly, high, pressures i.

I have discovered thata.majorlreasonfor. theggil) frequent failuresnf valvesprings .ofrthe, character; 6 mentioned, above is g'tha'tethey, are subjects-date relatively heavy impact substantially'alongiliheir entire. length, by the .valvedtsc or, 4. diaphragm,

when operated underv heavy load, thatlis, ,foriex.- .o 5

ample, at highcyclic rates and .at ihighfipressuresu Apparentlythe reason for this isthatithe sudden andcompletenopeningi oitheivalve .not only. come i pletely compresses, the spring. ,but the .1 discs im-,

pacts. against. substantially.cits wholel length in. 5c

the case of .r a spiral spring, orsimpactssucoessive turns...0fa cylindrical; coil spring,-againsteach, other. with such .torce that the, ,springis .imore orllessl continuously battered andihammered;v So.

th"at"its lifejqis .sh'or-t, The ,shorteninaei spring; 5 y,

2 life may. be due to ear-1y crystallization .from -hammering ,or .it bemdue ,to the setting ;up or the, disturbingv of high-frequency vibrations. in the body of the spring which results in a change is of the. crystallin structure Whatever-away be the correctltheory, thefactis that-springs which are subjected: to .repeated pounding r by the disc or diaphragm of a valve of the.v type described above fail several times as oftenasyalve springs 'Wh-ichare protected. against such pounding, ac,- l.

cording .to my invention.

Breaka e -;Of springsin, the manner mentioned. aboveiis seriousnot-only becausepfthe expenses and ,delays directly, incidental to such breakage, but .alsobecause broken spring parts may get into more. delicatepartsof a machine or system and cause.,major dama e. While certain efiortshave,

beemmadein the past to improve valves of this character, such, effortshave not been very suecessful and it is ar 1 objec t, ofmyinvention to substantially reduce or eliminatespring. breakage by designinga valve so that the disc element or diaphragmcannqt im ach sai st the s n or cause, its parts'to impact againsteach other in the manner aforesaid;

As noted above springs may be spiral or they may behelical-and in either caseit is desirable to so design the parts of the valve that the disc or diaphragm cannot fully flatten or fully com press-the spring so as to cause impact along substantially the --entire--extentof said spring. I So todo-is a further object of-my-invention.

A further and more specific object of my invention is to-prevent excessive'compression and percussion of springs-in valves of the character aforesaid by providing simple-and effective stop means to'limit the movement of the disc or diaphragm;: This is particularly important when the-valve is to be opened and closed ata high cyclic rateand-"under strong impulses which drive; the valve open suddenly and vforcefully as in;.reciprocating pneumatic: apparatus, for example.:; Astillsrfurthersobject is to-accomplish the .:.foregoing without substantially increasing .the -;complexity or: the production cost of the valve, and lwithcutrinterfering in any manner with: rapldcandqeasy assembly or disassembly of. theva-lve elements. v

Iii-air, compressors and like apparatus it is essential thatconvenient access be had to valves and, that ,such ;valves be capable of ready and convenient assembly;- and;todesigna valve hav: ing such characteristics is another object of my inventio n. I

era fi furtherpbiect the pre en invenr tion will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show a preferred embodiment and the principle thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principle may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of a disc or diaphragm type valve embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing certain parts in another position;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the disc valve element and associated parts, part of the disc being broken away to show other parts more clearly;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the valve retainer;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the valve seat; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view, somewhat similar to Fig. 2, of a modified valve.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, a valve plate or cylinder head I l is shown, passage from which may be the upper part of a cylinder head as in a reciprocating type air compressor provided with a piston or analogous cyclical fluid pump not shown. The valve head I l is provided internally with a flange l2 against which a valve seat member i3 may be firmly set, a suitable sealing gasket I4 of any suitable material being provided. Above the flange i2 the valve chamber l l is provided internally with threads [5 which cooperate with threads IS on the exterior of the valve seat member 13. By means of an appropriate tool, such as a spanner type wrench, the valve seat I3 may be threaded into position and firmly tightened against the sealing gasket.

Above the valve seat member is, a closure disc or diaphragm I1 is provided. In the position shown in Fig. 2 the disc is positioned against the raised annular seating elements 18 and IQ of the valve seat member l3. This is the closed position of the valve, the valve being shown open in Fig. 1. Although, in the arrangement shown, fluid flows from below, it will be understood that the valve might be inverted so as to permit flow from above, or any other arrangement desired might be made, the operation of the parts as shown not necessarily being dependent upon gravity. For some applications, however, the valve may be operated at least in part by gravity, as explained hereinbelow.

The inner annular seat I8 of the valve seat member is is provided with chamfered edges as indicated at 2! and the other or outer annular seat is is similarly provided with chamfered edges 22. The provision of these chamfered edges on the actual seating elements is a feature of my invention which has at least two advantages. In the first place the chamfering of the raised annular seats reduces the surface area which contacts the valve disc or diaphragm I'i. Reduction in this area increases the unit pressure between the disc and the seats and thereby enhances the sealing effect, assuming that the seats are machined with a suflicient degree of accuracy. These surfaces are indicated at 23 and 24, respectively, on elements 18 and I9.

Another advantage of the chamfered edges resides in the protection they afiord to the seating surfaces .23 and 24. These surfaces, as well as the valve disc I1, must be accurately finished if a fluid tight seal is to be realized. The valve seat is provided with a plurality of openings 25 through which fluid, for example, air from or to the compressor piston or the like, is admitted. Three such openings are shown in the drawings, being separated by lands or web portions 26. As noted above a suitable tool such as a spannertype wrench may be inserted into openings 25 to screw or unscrew the valve seat 13 in the valve plate or head H. By chamfering the edges of the raised annular seating elements any abrasion or impact between the tool and such elements does not affect the actual seating surface. Likewise, when the valve parts are disassembled, any minor blows in ordinary handling are likely to be taken by a chamfered edge portion whereas if the raised elements were formed with square corners any light impact might raise a protuberance or make a dent which would result in a leaky and unsatisfactory valve.

The valve seat may be forged from suitable material such as iron, steel, bronze, brass, or powdered metal, the seating elements 23 and 24 being carefully machined and ground. The disc closure element I! is preferably of a suitable steel or alloy of high strength and is preferably finished by grinding both sides so that it may be reversed. As shown in the drawings, the disc I1 is preferably angular in shape, for example hexagonal, and as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is provided with a central opening so that fluid may pass around the outside and through the center thereof. However, the central opening is not essential, and if desired, the entire flow may be around the outside of the valve. In this case the overall diameter of the valve may be somewhat reduced, such an arrangement being shown in Fig. 6.

In order to assure seating and a fluid-tight valve assembly, the annular seating surfaces of the valve seat are preferably faced at the same time that other parts such as the threads are machined. This assures that the seating surfaces are true with the threads l6.

As shown in Fig. 2 the valve disc or diaphragm member I1 is closed against valve seat B by a spring 2?. When pressure above the valve becomes suificient to overcome the spring 21 the valve is opened to the position shown in Fig. 1. The spring 21, as shown herein, is of the spiral non-planar type mentioned above, the central portion being projected out of the plane of the outer turn of the spring when the spring is in its normal or expanded state. When the spring is compressed, as in Fig. 1, the central portion may be forced toward a position where its inner turns lie in the same plane as the outer turns, so that all like elements of the spring approach a position in a common plane. As shown herein, the outer turns of the spring are seated in an annular recess 28 provided in a valve retaining member 29.

As mentioned above, numerous valve spring failures have occurred because the parts have been so arranged that on forceful opening of the valve the spring has been hammered flat, the disc ll impacting against the spring substantially throughout its entire length while it is fully compressed. In order to prevent such impact, which, as noted above, is a major cause of spring breakage, I provide the valve retaining member 29 with a stop member shown as an outer annular shoulder 3!}, Figs. 1 to 4, and with a projecting inner stop member 3| which may also be annular as showniner-Figshi .to 4. 'iInfFigh6 the,;=outer"stope shoulder isshown at'tflauandan rinner stofp'rhem'-:. ber'is shewn'i-at 3 1. Theoute'r stopsifll ;or:=30a; combined with" the; zcentraliistops t I for: 3 m serve" to' limitmovement-bathe :valve'misc-iaway' from? 5 the; .valve'rseat' when the avalve is. op ene'd: forciblyir Thus the. outer stop lshou-lderr. 3c 01 :3UdiSlVS..tO'.

stop or rsupport'i thecorners of ith'e valvedis'ma'rrd ii the: inner .sto'pzelemeritst I or 3 mserves vto sto ps orsisupp'ort thee-centralr part of-xthe vdisryzsr than; thetdi-sc cannot fully'icompre'ssi-the sprin'g' or im pact'against the spring kiniits" fully-."com'presse rl condition; :This .t'akesithelshock=ioffthe sprin and;- very material'lyirediicest the: frequency: of 13 breakagel In the form of my invention shown in.Figsi 1 5 to 5;:tne' retainer i'sip'rovided with a central aperture 32 within the raised annular stop portion 3| which aperture'registers'v/itha central opening 33 in the valve disc so that fiuidmay-pass therethrough. Also, since the valve -'diSCTOIZ'dia--L phragm H is preferably. angular, for. example hexagonal, so'thatthe corners may rest on shoulder 39, fluid may flow around-the edges thereof intermediate" the .corners. .andipa'ss on through openings 34in.theretainercfier' There area-EpIu-i rality of 'openingsj i..formed'rin the spring su'p i portingzrecess 28..of .the retainer; such openings being separated by web portions; 35 which support the springil.-.

In the form ,shown. in Fig. 6,1'the'ap arts! are I the same as 'inwFigs. 1 to .5, excepts-that the valve seat l is :smoothand. annular: projections? 1 8a and :l 9a are carried. .by. .the. discrl l'a. Alsoi the retainer 29a is provided with a central stud 31a in place of the annular stop 3|, the central openings 32 in the disc and 34 in the retainer, Figs. 1 to 4, being omitted in this figure. Suitable openings a are provided in the seat Ba and in the retainer 29a are openings 34a. The flow past the diaphragm Fla is entirely around the edges thereof since this form has no central aperture.

The outer periphery of the retainer is preferably threaded as at 36 to screw into the internal threads l5 of the valve plate or head H in the same manner as the valve seat.

t will of course be understood that the spring 2'! need not necessarily be of the design shown and described above. Other types of springs, such as helical springs may be employed for some purposes and the same principles of stopping movement of the valve disc by one or more shoulders or steps such as the stops 3!), a, 3| or 3l'a which is positioned above or beyond the point where the spring can be fully compressed are applicable. The essential structure is one which prevents repeated shock to the spring resulting from impact with the entire body thereof incident to full compression. Obviously, for many purposes, only one of the stop shoulders as outer stop 3611 or inner stop 3 I, 3la may be required.

It will be understood further that although the various parts such as the valve seat l3 and the retaining member 29 have been described as located in the valve housing by means of screw threads l5, l5 and 36, the parts might be assembled and held in position in other well-known wavs. for exam le by the use of sliding parts and suitable clamping and sealing elements. It will also be a parent that the arrangement of parts for fluid flow may be varied as desired.

In ordinary operation the valve disc remains in position against the seating surfaces 23 and '24 to keep the valve closed until pressure from above is sufiicient to overcome the compression-loaded spring-27;?" whenrthis occurs the'.disc-amoves away. fromzth'e' seat: .and fluid, such aszair fromca com press'or'pistonyifiows around the outer edgeszofz the discand-through theiports or openings of a. the retainer as previously explained; Fluid flows also; through the. central openings 32 .and 33 of the .valveidisc. andthe retainer.

If pressure is applied suddenly and forciblyzthe valvedisc maybe drivenswith considerable:force..- 10': away. from theaseat and into contact withzthe stops: elements'or shoulders-.3?) and-3! 'on the-retainers. Even in'i this Case-no-damage occurs to the spring: 29.:which is not fully. compressed because of' the.--v protection afiorded by the raised elementsw30t 15; and 'ztto Whenthepressurezimpulse has-subsided or lee-" gins to reverse the spring 2'! quickly returnszthe a valve-disc: H to aclosedz positionaagainstythe :seatingzelementst zs zandz 24 Because of the, reducedz'. Zora-ma of thesesuriaces resultingfromechamferin theirs edges. a -=relative1y high: pressure per .uni area-results in avery 'goodseal as previouslymen... tinned, evenicthougir the spring. :2 I; is relativelylighti-fIl'i? many applications; back pressure: tends 1; 5:, up close the. -valve,"3=.and -thespring 21-15 Jtherebys assisted in closing; the7valve: In fact-yin some 1 cases it:.loas:1been "found that the :spring- 2 1. .may berdispensedtwith altogetheni It has.'been-::foundi.;that brokenrsprings arera. sosmaioiti'source' 1 of diffi'c'u'lty in: valves: of i the type i described ab ove andrithat this invention greatly-- reduces'ztheir'frequency-and consequently reduces injuryzarid ida'mage whichv may beicaused. to' other. movings-parts fsby fbrokenr spring fragments. It l'sswal'sofigreatly ereduces the annoyance andil'ost time;

directly caused by broken springs which must be replaced. The disc member I! is made of .a good grade of sheet metal, preferably a suitable steel, and the retaining member, or at least the raised so elements 30 and 3! thereof, are preferably made of a material, such as a fairly hard steel, which will withstand repeated hammering by the disc without injury.

The simplicity of the parts facilitates their assembly and replacement and cleaning has been seldom required. While I have described this improved valve structure as being useful, for example, in connection with air compressors and related pneumatic apparatus, it will be apparent that other uses may be made thereof. Also, al-

though I have mentioned particular materials, methods of finishing, and manners of assembly it will be understood that my invention is not necessarily limited thereto. Further, while I have described and illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim: 1. In a replaceable valve structure, a mounting member having a threaded mounting socket, a 55 pair of circular plates threaded about their outer edges and disposed in face to face relation in said threaded socket, each of said plates having an annular row of air passages formed therethrough in inwardly spaced relation with respect to said threaded edges, one of said plates having a circular valve chamber formed therein in a centered relation with respect to said annular rows of openings and extending outwardly beyond said rows for a substantial distance, said one of said 76 plates also having an annular mounting recess formed therein concentric with said valve chamber but of a slightly smaller outer diameter so as to define an annular abutment shoulder about said annular recess on both its inner and outer edges, a non-circular floating valve disc mounted in said chamber for movement between an open position in engagement with said inner and outer shoulders and a closed position in engagement with the other of said plates so as to close the air passages in said other of said plates, said noncircular valve disc having its outer edge formed to afford a passage between such edge and said outer shoulder when said valve disc is in said open position, and a non-planar spiral compression spring seated in said mounting recess and engaging said valve disc to urge the same to said closed position.

2. In a replaceable valve structure, a mounting member having a threaded socket defining the inlet or outlet port of an air compressor or the like, a pair of circular plates threaded about their outer edges and disposed in face to face relation in said threaded socket, each of said plates having an annular row of air passages formed therethrough in inwardly spaced relation with respect to said threaded edges, one of said plates having a circular valve chamber formed therein in a centered relation with respect to said annular rows of openings and extending outwardly beyond said rows for a substantial distance, said one of said plates also having an annular mounting recess formed therein concentric with said valve chamber but of a slightly smaller outer diameter so as to define an annular abutment shoulder about said annular recess on both its inner and outer edges, a non-circular floating valve disc mounted in said chamber for movement between an open position in engagement with said inner and outer shoulders and a closed position in engagement with the other of said plates so as to close the air passages in said other of said plates, said non-circular valve disc having its outer edge formed to afford a passage between such edge and said outer shoulder when said valve disc is in said open position, and a non-planar spiral compression spring having its outer coil seated in said mounting recess adjacent the outer edge of the mounting recess and having its inner coil disposed radially inwardly of said outer coil and engaging said valve disc to urge the same to its closed position.

BURR W. MANTLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,185,412 Kramer May 30, 1916 1,269,616 Le Bozec June 28, 1918 1,708,158 Steedman Apr. 9, 1929 1,718,350 Greenwald June 25, 1929 1,751,261 Wilson Mar. 18, 1930 1,777,647 Marchal Oct. 7, 1930 1,846,753 Rayfield Feb. 23, 1932 1,972,737 Hewitt Sept. 4, 1934 2,239,405 Stenger Apr. 22, 1941 2,289,651 Horton July 14, 1942 

